Psalms 15 Footnotes

Ps 15 This psalm is an “entrance rite,” a brief ceremony to qualify worshipers for entering the holy precincts of the temple. It lists ten characteristics (paralleling the Ten Commandments) of the person who is fit to come into the sanctuary and fellowship with the Lord, using the metaphor of “dwelling” (see 23:6; 27:4). The purpose of such an “entrance rite” was to remind people to examine themselves before worshiping; in so doing they would realize their need of forgiveness through sacrificial atonement. The substance of this psalm is repeated in 24:3-4.